Superhuman News 🤖 - Smart monkeys that rebel against humans

"As we develop technology to better ourselves, why should we confine these tools to one species?”

An apparently crazy concept in transhumanism is 'animal uplift'. If we are going to improve ourselves as humans, isn't it our moral obligation to treat animals the same way?

This article on Vice starts off nicely with a description of a scene from Planet of the Apes. A scientist tests an Alzheimer's drug on a chimpanzee. She becomes super smart, passes the intelligence on to her child, who then leads the rebellion against mankind.

Although there is room in the article for arguments from proponents such as George Dvorsky, I feel more for the critics. Are animals happier with a high IQ? Wouldn't it be better to improve the current living conditions of the animals, such as abolishing factory farming, instead of tinkering with the animals themselves?

🎬 Recently some new videos appeared on my YouTube channel: In the video 'What is transhumanism?' I will tell you in fifteen minutes what this term exactly means, its advantages and disadvantages and the impact of this movement. Furthermore: 'Why I am interested in biohacking' (about the origin of my fascination) and an interview with Dr. Barry Fitzgerald about the importance of superheroes.

🦠 The well-known biohacker Josiah Zayner says that making a vaccine against COVID-19 through DIY is more difficult than he thought. The essence: making a vaccine is not that difficult, but responsible testing in a DIY way? That is (too) complex.

🤔 Every so often there is a lot of hype around a new substance that promises us a longer life (think about resveratrol a few years ago). There is now a lot to do with the Klotho protein, for example through promising tests in mice. More about this in this article.

🔮 An interesting view from political scientist Roman Krznaric: future generations should have a say in today's political decisions. The reason: we now treat the future as a landfill of ecological damage and technological risks.

📕 Emily Suvada's This Mortal Coil book feels a bit like the Hunger Games, but with a big biohacking twist. Think genetically modified teens, a deadly virus and dangerous drones.

🎧 Fellow speaker Peter Ros pointed me to this lecture by Svend Brinkmann. Broadcasted as a podcast by RSA Events, Svend explains why he is tired of the continuous pursuit of self-improvement. In fact, it is even counterproductive.

🤖 Despite the storm of criticism (due to hiccups and bugs) I am addicted to the game Cyberpunk 2077. The gloomy city Night City is beautiful, you can buy various upgrades (for the connoisseurs: like in Deus Ex) and Keanu Reeves is a guest-star. Soon an extensive review on my blog.